image

Donald Trump to announce decision on Paris Accord on Thursday

by IBNS 01 Jun 2017, 09:58 am

Washington, Jun 1 (IBNS): US President Donald Trump said he will announce his decision on the Paris Accord on Thursday.

"I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!," Trump's tweet read.

Earlier it was reported that Trump, who once called climate changed a 'hoax' and blamed the Chinese for fabricating it, is set to pull out of the Paris Agreement.

To date, 147 out of the 197 countries, including the US, have given their consent to the accord, which was implemented last November.

According to reports, Trump's decision was fuelled by the lack of common grounds with other global leaders at the G7 summit, which took place in Taormina, Sicily.

Meanwhile, the US President's lack of clarity in the issue has left several world leaders frustrated.

Venting anger, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that the entire meeting was very 'difficult'.

"The entire discussion about climate was very difficult, if not to say very dissatisfying," she told reporters.

In a time when the US is still pussyfooting with the idea, China is slowly taking centre-stage.

In a joint statement, the Chinese and EU officials said that the Paris climate agreement is "an imperative more important than ever."

Both parties are expected to release a joint statement on Friday, following the conclusion of a meeting in Brussels.

"The EU and China consider the Paris agreement as an historic achievement further accelerating the irreversible global low greenhouse gas emission and climate resilient development," the BBC quoted the draft document.

"The Paris Agreement is proof that with shared political will and mutual trust, multilateralism can succeed in building fair and effective solutions to the most critical global problems of our time. The EU and China underline their highest political commitment to the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement in all its aspects," it read.

If the US decides to pull out of the agreement, it will be seen as rebuff.